Overrunning clutch



July 12, 1932.

A. S. BALDWIN Filed Oct. 7, i930 Fatented July 12, 1932 ARTHURS.BALDWIN, F STRATEORD, CONNECTICUT- OVERRUNNING-CLUTCH- Applicatio nfiled October 7, 1930. Serial no..4s6,912.

This invention relates to clutches of the overrunning type such as areavailable for self starters for automobiles, a clutch of this classbeing composed of a driving member and a driven member, in the presentinstance the driving member being a ring having gear teeth on itsperiphery, while the driven member is a circular head around which saidring is journaled, and this head is fixed on a shaft, as the cam shaftof an explosive engine, and means is employed for locking the ring andhead together when the shaft is being driven by the rotation of thering, and for releasing the ring when the shaft revolves at a speedfaster than that occasioned by the ring.

lhe main object of this invention is to insure the locking together ofthe ring and headin order to drive the latter, and to render the releaseof the ring positive when the rotary speed of the head is greater thanthe speed imparted from the ring.

Further objects will be evident from the detail description whichfollows, and which is to be read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure l is a side elevation illustrating anembodiment of the invention Figure 2 is an end view Figures 3, 4, and 6,are views similar to Figure 2, but with the cover plate removed and thedriven shaft in section, and showing the relative positions of parts atthe several stages of operation Figure 7 is a section at the line 7-7 ofFigure 2, and

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view of the pawl structure.

Similar numerals of reference denote like parts in the several figuresof the drawing.

1 denotes the cam shaft of an explosive engine, and 2 is an enlargedcircular head which'is fixed on said shaft, as by splines 3, andjournaled around said headis a -ring 4 which has gear teeth 5 on'itsperiphery, with which teeth meshes a spur gear 6 that is fixed to theshaft 7 of an auxiliary electric motor 8, so that it will be clear thatwhen this motor is'operated, the ring ,4 will be revolved.

The head 2 is retained in position by means of cheek disks 9, 10,on'opposite sides of the.

head, and screws 11 driven into these disks through the head, but thisis a trivial mat; ter and can impose no limitation. j

lVithin the periphery of the head Qis a pocket 1.2, and in the latter isa pawl 13 which is pivoted to the disks 9, 10, by a pin 14, and sincethese disks are rigidwith the head the pawl will be carried by the headin its rotary. movement. j 15 are L-shaped thin metal pieces, whoseinner lengths a are secured to the sides of the pawl 13 by headed pins16, and whose outer lengths b project in parallelism' and contactopposite annular faces of the ring 4, these faces being bothfalike andsmooth, one of them appearing'in elevation in Fig ures 3, 4, 5 and '6and designated by the nu; meral17.

' These projecting parts bare springs and they embrace the faces of thering 4 with considerable pressure, sufficient to hold the pawl'in anyposition and therefore serving to prevent any rattling of the pawlduring the rotation of the head or ring. a T

'WVithin the inner periphery of the ring 4' is a recess 18, and fromaninspection ofFigures 3 to 6 itwill be clear that the nose 19 of the pawlisisocontoured that it will conformably fit within this recess. Q Thepawl -13 is carried by thehead 2 immediately adjacent the innerperiphery of the ring 4, and, as heretofore stated, this. periphery-isjournaled on'said head it will therefore be clear that, as the ringrevolves in the direction of the arrow, the drag of the oppo% siteannular faces of the ring against. the spring embracing parts I; willcause'the pawl structure to operate like "a bell-cr'ank lever" AT'ENTJ.crem and will therefore force the nose 19 of the pawl against said innerperiphery, and when the recess 18 is opposite said nose, the latter willbe forced by said drag into the recess,

1 and thereafter the ring and head will be locked together and thelatter will be driven by the ring.

Wh n theispeediof the shaft 1' and its head 2 exceeds that ofthe ring,the pawl structure, which is carried by the head, will be withdrawn fromthin recess 18:,1andithe3- drag:- of the embracing parts I) of the pawlstructure against the sides of the ring vsi-ill swing said structure sothat the pawl member 1 3 will be forced inwardlywithin the pocket'12of:..the. head, and..thereafter.. this head; will he. revolved.independent of theiring' Inthe. exemplification' off the applicationoflthi's invention as a. self starter. for explosirve engines, the onlyassociated parts shown" in the. drawing. are the. auxiliary elece tliiicmoton'8nvith. the spur. gear 6 on. the. shaft ofsuch. motor and:in-..engagement with the toothed'rihg.4,and'.the camshaft 1, b.ut,.since it is wellknown that this cam shaft isgeared to. theengine shaft,and. that the electric currentlfor, the. motor issclojseda by. pressinga biittonrandfthen opened by releasing the lattor,furtherv illustrationvin these respects is deemed'unnecessary, and the following. descript-ionofthe operation off this invention as.:an. element in: the selfst'arterassembly for. an explosive engine will' therefore be readilyiunderstoodl V When'th -:-motor isstarted. the. ring, 4; will be revolvedand the head 2 will be stationary unti-Lthe rece'sszlSis oppositethenose. ofxthe pawl-,; whereupon the. latter will be forced within thisrecess theringand head andeonsetpuently the cam shaftr will be revolved.unisomand. this wi1l,lof course, effect the reMol-utiontof th'eieng ineshaft; andv when the "engine isstarted; the oam shaft: will; berevolivedz at. a speed. greatly in excess of that 45* of the ring, and,as before explained, this:

will cause -thewpawl j to be. withdrawn from theirecess18, and thecircuit of the-motor can: then he opened... 7

onlyone pawl structure and one-re:

cess'lmve'beenl illustrated: in: the drawing, it will be obviousfhat'aslalurality of pawl structnres aindxirecessesrmaybe utilizedrifdesired, tl-risbeingr a; mere duplication offthepresent structure? andialso: a single pawlf structure irray be utilized with a plurality ofrecesse's in the innerperi'phery-of theriiigyandit'here the inventionis; not limited in these respects'.f.-" .j j 1 invention; while it"accomplishes 1 the same'resu'lts as the ordinary overrun ning clutch,neverthelessobviat'es the, necessity of the-precision with whichtli'ejpartsof. such clutch must. be. made and prevents. sticking.

ball clutches, with the resultant stripping of gears.

Furthermore, the connection of the spring members I) of the pawlstructure with the opposite faces of the toothed ring, not only insuresthe proper operation of the pawl,

but prevents any rattling between such struc- I outer faces of the partsI), or a contractile coil spring between the latter and. acting to drawisuch parts toward each other, these modifications beingwithin the rangeof the most ordinary mechanical skill,.and therefore it is merelynecessary, for the purposesof this invention that the. parts I) embrace.the faces of. the ring; resiliently. I

,What is:claimed is: 7

1.. An. overrunningclutch comprising a shaft,an-enlarged circular headfixed thereto and havingta pocket within its periphery, .a ring having;side recesses journal'edi around saidhead and having gear teeth: onitsouter peripheryanda recess inits inner periphery, a pawl. structurecarried by said head withinsaid-pocket a-nd 'provided with. spacedspring armsthat embrace opposite faces of said ring and liewithinr therecesses, andmeans for: initially revolvingsaid ring,- e .2. Aconstruction asin claim 1 in which the means for initially revolvingthering:

comprises a spur gear on. the. shaft" of an auxiliary'elect-ric motor,while the head is kept in position within the ring; by means of cheekplates andiscrews driven through said plates and head;

In testimony. whereof I hereto.

' ARTHUR S.;BALDWI-N-.

affix my signaturev of. parts.- andi theibreakingfof springs-r and;

